Pattern piece article and method of producing a printed pattern layout

ABSTRACT

Transparent pattern pieces, preferably of thin, flexible, selfsupporting plastic material, slightly larger than and approximately conforming to the configuration of the pattern to be cut, have opaque markings thereon which trace the pattern to be cut and record other desired information and cutting instructions, such as notch marks, drill holes, and sizes. The transparent pattern pieces are placed on a sheet of light sensitive paper in an abutting and/or overlapping, interlocking layout, and the pattern tracings are then outlined on the layout paper by exposing the paper to light. The resulting printed pattern layout has the effect of a three-dimensional print, as three different, contrasting shades of color are produced which correspond to the pattern outlines, the overall configuration of the pattern layout and the portions bordering the pattern layout configuration, respectively. Alternatively, the pattern layout may be electronically reproduced by optic line follower equipment.

United States Patent Cutri [11] 3,816,924 June 18, 1974 PATTERN PIECE ARTICLE AND METHOD OF PRODUCING A PRINTED PATTERN LAYOUT [76] Inventor: Frank J. Cutri, late'of 9214 Ridge Blvd., Brooklyn, NY. 11209 by Louise Cutri, administratrix [22] Filed: Nov. 8, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 196,453

Related US. Application Data [62] Division of Ser. No. 867,715, OCt. 20, 1964,

abandoned.

[52] US. Cl 33/17 R [51] Int. Cl A41h 3/02 [58] Field of Search 33/12, 17 R; 96/41, 43

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,047,823 12/1912 Marsden, 33/17 R 1,724,875 8/1929 Herzberg 1,982,005 11/1934 Hutter.... 33/12 2,972,533 2/1961 Frankan 96/41 3,095,649 7/1963 Wightwick i 33/17 R 3,134,173 5/1964 Williams 33/17 A 3,496,372 2/1970 Langberg 33/13 Primary Examiner-Louis R. Prince Assistant Examiner-Charles E. Phillips Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Morgan', Finnegan, Durham & Pine [57 ABSTRACT Transparent pattern pieces, preferably of thin, flexible, self-supporting plastic material, slightly larger than and approximately conforming to the configuration of the pattern to be cut, have opaque markings thereon which trace the pattern to be cut and record other desired information and cutting instructions, such as notch marks, drill holes, and sizes. The transparent pattern pieces are placed on a sheet of light sensitive paper in an abutting and/or overlapping, interlocking layout, and the pattern tracings are then outlined on the layout paper by exposing the paper to light. The resulting printed pattern layout has the effect of a three-dimensional print, as three different, contrasting shades of color are produced which correspond to the pattern outlines, the overall configuration of the pattern layout and the portions bordering the pattern layout configuration, respectively. Alternatively, the pattern layout may be electronically repro duced by optic line follower equipment.

6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 6 /2/02 Apr) PMENTEBJuu 18 m4 SHEET 2 BF 3 FIG.3

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44 TTORNEYS PATENTEB Jill I 8 I814 SHEET 3 BF 3 INVENTOR FRA NK J. C UTRI PATTERN PIECE ARTICLE AND METHOD OF PRODUCING A PRINTED PATTERN LAYOUT This application is a division of Ser. No. 867,515, filed Oct. 20, 1969, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to the production of printed pattern layout sheets of utility especially in the garment industry, and relates more particularly to certain new and useful improvements in pattern piece articles and inthe method of producing such printed pattern layout sheets from the new and improved pattern pieces.

2. Description of the Prior Art In the mass production of ready-to-wear clothes by the garment industry, it is the usual practice to cut a lay of material, on the order of 4-6 inches thick, 60 inches wide and yards long, by following a pattern layout which has been printed on a sheet of paper of the same width and length. The printed pattern layout sheet is obtained by arranging the individual pattern pieces on a blank sheet of light sensitive paper and thereafterexposing the paper to light, whereby the exposed areas of the paper change color and thereby outline the layout of the pattern pieces on the paper. Thereafter, it is the usual practice to treat the exposed sheet with a conventional ammonia process to develop it into a permanent master copy, from which duplications are made which are placed on top of each lay of material and are followed by the cutter in cutting the lay.

Heretofore, it has been customary to. produce the aforementioned printed pattern layout sheets by the use of pattern pieces, or templets, made out of paperboard and cut to the exact shape and size of the pattern to be cut. This practice of using paperboard pattern pieces has been found to havesevere shortcomings and is highly advantageous for several reasons.

Firstly, it is very difficult to obtain a sharply defined printed pattern layout sheet from the paperboard pattern pieces, resulting in the cutter often becoming confused and suffering from excessive eye strain. This shortcoming is caused by a number of factors. It is virtually impossible, short of using an expensive cutting machine, to cut the pattern pieces so that the edges thereof have a constant 90 angle. Furthermore, although the edge of a paperboard pattern piece appears to be cleanly cut to the naked eye, in fact, it is uneven and jagged as many of the paper fibers are merely torn off in the cutting operation. Thus, when the exposure light passes over the pattern edges, the various angles at which the edge is cut cause inaccurate reproduction of the pattern on the paper and the torn fibers cause the printed outline of thefpattern piece to appear diffused and fuzzy. in addition, after only a short'periodof use, the edges of the paperboard pattern pieces tend to curl and become further frayed, resulting in distortions in the printed outline ofthe pattern piece, and further causing the outline thereof to appear diffused and fuzzy. As a consequence of the foregoing, it is neces- V sary for the layout artisan, at a great waste of time, to go over the entire printed layoutand correct or fill-in the pattern outlines as needed.

Secondly, it is not possible to abut the edges of the paperboard pattern pieces against one another in laying outthe pattern pieces on the light sensitive layout paper, since abutting pieces appear as one integral design configuration onthe printed sheet. Also, placing the pattern pieces too close together tends to again propaperboard pattern pieces are used, in order for this information to be transferred from the pattern piece to the paper layout, it must be cut into the piece in the manner of a stencil. This is impractical, and sometimes it is impossible for the desired information to be stencilled into the piece. It is therefore necesary, after the pattemlayout has been exposed to light, to gather up all the individual pattern pieces and write all pertinent infonriation carried by the pieces onto the printed outlines thereof. This shortcomong therefore also results in much waste of time in requiring information to be separately recorded twice, once on the pattern piece itself and once on the printed outline thereof appearing on the pattern layout sheet, and also results in many errors in transposing the information from the one to the other.

In an attempt to overcome one of the aforedescribed drawbacks, i.e., the distorted reproductions caused by the edges of the pattern piece becoming curled it also heretofore has been the customary practice to place a thick sheet of rigid, clear plastic on top of the layout of pattern pieces, in order to flatten and hold them in place prior to exposing the pattern layout to light. However, this practice has merely created additional shortcomings. Thus, itis necessary to position and reposition the heavy plastic sheets along the entire length of the approximately 15 yard-long pattern layout, which often causes the individual pattern pieces to be disturbed, re-

sulting in errors or requiring the pattern layout to be reset.

v A representative example of the foregoing prior art practices is illustrated in FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings, and is more fullydescribed hereinafter.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 'It is therefore an object of this invention to provide, as an article of manufacture, a novel and improved pattern piece.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved pattern piece for use in producing a printed pattern layout'which fully eliminates or overcomes the numerous shortcomings and disadvantages of previously known pattern piece constructions.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved pattern piece for use in producing a printed pattern layout on-a sheet of paper to be followed in cutting a lay of fabric material or the like which significantly both increases cutting production and decreases material wastes.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved method for producing a printed pattern layout on a sheet of paper to be followed in cutting a lay of fabric material or the like.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved method for producing a printed pattern layout on a sheet of paper to be followed in cutting a lay of fabric material or the like which fully eliminates or overcomes the numerous shortcomings and disad vantages of previously known methods.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved method for producing a printed pattern layout on a sheet of paper to be followed in cutting a lay of fabric material or the like which significantly both increases cuttingproduction and decreases material wastes.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved printed pattern layout sheet to be followed in cutting a lay of fabric material or the like, which is easily legible and provides significantly improved definition in the cutting lines to be followed by the cutter.

Objects and advantages of the invention are set forth in part herein and in part will be obvious herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention consists of the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations, steps, processes and improvements herein shown and described.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly described, the pattern piece article of the present invention comprises a transparent material, preferably formed from a thin, flexible, self-supporting plastic, slightly larger than and approximately conforming to the configuration of the pattern to be cut, and having opaque markings thereon which trace the pattern to be cut and record other desired information thereon, such as notch markings, drill holes, sizes, and other cutting instructions.

The method of the present invention for producing a paper sheet having a pattern layout printed thereon comprises, in the preferred embodiment, cutting a thin sheet of flexible, self-supporting transparent plastic material slightly larger than and approximately conforming to the configuration of the pattern to be cut; tracing the pattern to be cut onto the transparent pattern piece with an opaque material; marking any other desired information on the pattern piece with an opaque material; arranging the marked pattern pieces on a blank sheet of light sensitive paper in abutting relationship and with common lines overlapped; exposing the pattern layout and light sensitive paper to a light source to thereby print the pattern layout onto the layout paper; processing the exposed, printed paper to develop a permanent master sheet; and reproducing duplicate sheets of the printed pattern layout from the master sheet as desired for use in cutting a lay of material.

The printed pattern layout sheet of the invention, to be followed in cutting a lay of fabric material or the like, comprises: a first color shade which corresponds to the individual pattern outlines to be cut from the lay of material, and where there has been no exposure of the layout paper; a second color shade outlining the first color shade which corresponds to the overall configuration of the layout of pattern pieces carrying the individual pattern outlines, and where there has been a partial exposure of the layout paper; and a third color shade outlining the second color shade which corresponds to that portion of the printed layout sheet which borders the overall configuration of the pattern layout, and where there has been complete exposure of the layout paper. In a preferred embodiment, the first color shade also includes desired cutting instructions.

It will be apparent from the foregoing general description that the objects of the invention specifically enumerated herein are accomplished by the invention as here preferably embodied.

Thus, by providing transparent pattern pieces which are slightly larger than the pattern to be cut and which have the pattern traced thereon in opaque markings, the pattern outline which is printed onto the light sensitive paper is a direct copy of the opaque tracing, whereby an exact, sharply defined outline of the pattern is printed.

The durability of plastic material, and the fact that no reliance is placed upon exactitude at the edges of the pattern pieces, permits the pattern pieces to be cut without the exercise of great care, and also permits continued usage of the pattern pieces without noticeable wear or change in the quality of the pattern layout printed therefrom.

The pattern pieces can be arranged in either abutting relationship or with common lines overlapped, resulting in a much tighter pattern layout configuration and, consequently, significant savings in cutting time and material wastes.

Additional information pertinent to the cutters requirements may be marked onto the pattern pieces as desired and is reproduced on the printed pattern layout at the same time that the pattern outline is printed.

As a further advantage in the preferred embodiment, it has been found unexpectedly that plastic material is capable of carrying a charge of static electricity of sufficient strength to cause the invidiual pattern pieces to cling by the force of electrostatic attraction to the light sensitive sheet of paper without the requirement for additional pressure.

It has also been unexpectedly found that, as another advantage of the invention, the transparent material of the pattern pieces offers sufficient resistance to the passage of light therethrough suchthat, when the pattern layout is exposed to a source of light, three different shades of color are produced in the layout paper: a first shade comprising the outline of the pattern to be cut, where there is no exposure of the layout paper; a second shade produced where the pattern pieces have been placed but which do not contain any opaque markings, where there is a partial exposure of the layout paper; and a third shade produced where no pattern pieces have been placed, where there is complete exposure of the layout paper. There results a printed pattern layout having the effect of a three-dimensional print, which is easily legible and provides excellent definition for the cutter to follow.

In an alternate embodiment of the method of the invention, the individual pattern pieces are cut to the exact size and shape of the patterns to be cut therefrom, and the patterns to be cut are traced thereon along the perimeters of the individual pattern pieces. It will be apparent that, except for the fact that the individual pattern pieces are required to be cut with care and that the individual pattern pieces should preferably be arranged in the pattern layout with all of their common lines overlapping, the method of the invention as thus alternatively embodied accomplishes all of the objects heretofore specifically enumerated and hasall the advantages heretofore described in connection with the preferred method of the invention.

In a second alternate embodiment of the method of the invention, the pattern layout is reproduced electronically by the use of suitable commercially available optic line follower equipment. While this alternate method of accomplishing the step of reproducing the pattern layout does not have the advantage of producing a copy with a three-dimensional effect, as discussed in connection with the preferred embodiment of the method, it nevertheless also accomplishes all of the objects of the invention specifically enumerated heretofore. Furthermore, the use of optic line follower equipment has the additional-advantage that the pattern layout may be automatically reproduced on an enlarged scale and thus the pattern layout may be made with individual pattern pieces which are correspondingly reduced in scale.

It will be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description as well are exemplary and explanatory of the invention but are not restrictive thereof.

The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate a representative prior art printed pattern layout and also the preferred embodiments of the articles and method of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a fragmentary, top plan view illustrating a portion of a master cutting sheethaving a pattern layout printed thereon according to the method of the prior art;

. FIG. 2 isa top plan view of a transparent pattern piece article constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, top plan view illustrating a portion of a sheet of light sensitive layout paper having transparent pattern piece articles constructed in accordance with the invention placed thereonaccording to the preferred embodimentof the method of the invention; and

FIG4 is a fragmentary, top plan view illustrating that portion of a printed pattern layout sheet having the pattern layout illustrated in FIG, 3 printed thereon according to the preferred embodiment of the method of the invention. I

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring initially to FIG. l of the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated a typical pattern layout, indicated generally by reference numeral 1, which has been printed on a sheet of light sensitive, layout paper 2 according to the prior art methods and utilizing the pattern pieces of the prior art. I

Thus, the pattern layout 1 has beenprinted by placing paperboard pattern pieces (not shown) on a blank sheet of light sensitive layout paper 2, and the variably cut and'frayed edges of the pattern pieces have produced generally diffused and fuzzy pattern outlines, seen throughout the pattern layout. The outlines of patterns 3, 4and 7 show typical examples of distorted re productions caused by pattern pieces whose edges have curled, and the necessity to completely re-trace the pattern outline, as shown at reference numeral 5, is apparent. In the printed patterns 6, 7, 8 there is illustrated the undesirable production of a single, integral, jumbo design configuration, caused by the corresponding pattern pieces having been abutted against one another when laid out on the layout paper. At the same time, there is illustrated a typical waste of material between the outlines of patterns 3,7, and 8, 9, respectively, caused by placing the corresponding pattern pieces sufficiently far apart to prevent the production of the jumbo configuration illustrated at 6, 7, 8.

Referring now more particularly to the embodiment of the article of manufacture of the invention shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings, and as best seen in FIG. 2, there is illustrated a pattern piece, indicated generally by reference numeral 10, which is formed from a thin sheet of flexible, self-supporting transparent material.

Advantageously, and as here preferably embodied, pattern piece 10 is formed of cellulose acetate and has a thickness of about 0.003-0.005 inches. It has been found that at this particular thickness range, the cellulose acetate remains durable and yet is capable of carrying a charge of static electricity of sufficient strength to cause the pattern piece to cling by the force of electrostatic attraction to a sheet of light sensitive layout paper, without the requirement for additional pressure.

It will be understood that other materials equivalent to cellulose acetate, such as plastics in general and thermoplastic materials in particular, may be employed with equally satisfactory results. It: will also be understood that, while in the preferred embodiment, the ma terial is sufficiently thin so that it will readily adhere to the layout paper by the force of static electricity alone, the invention as broadly conceived is achieved by providing the material only as thin as is required to permit the individual pattern pieces to remain in overlapped positions with their common pattern outlines coincid ing on topof one another.

In accordance with the invention as preferably embodied, the outline of the pattern to be cut is traced, either by hand or with the aid of a suitable pantograph device, on transparent pattern piece 10, as illustrated at 11, in an opaque material, advantageously black opaque permanent ink, and the pattern piece 10 is formed so as to be slightly larger than and approximately conform to the configuration of the pattern traced thereon, as illustrated by the perimentrically extending edge 12. As preferably embodied, additional desired information, such as notch markings, drill holes, sizes, and other cutting instructions, are also recorded on the pattern piece 10 in black opaque permanent ink, all as indicated generally by reference numeral l4.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 3 of the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated a pattern layout 15 arranged on a sheet of light sensitive paper 2, in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Thus, pattern layout 15 is comprised of a plurality of individual pattern pieces, including piece 10 previously described, constructed in accordance with the invention and each being identified generally by reference numerals 20, 30, 40, 50,- respectively. Each pattern piece has the outline of the pattern to be cut traced thereon in black opaque permanent ink, shown at 21,

31, 41, 51, respectively, and each pattern piece is slightly larger than and approximately conforms to the configuration of the pattern traced thereon, as shown by the respective perimetrically extending edges 22, 32, 42, 52, respectively. Additional desired information and cutting instructions are also recorded on each of the pattern pieces in black opaque permanent ink, as indicated generally by each of reference numerals 24, 34, 44, 54, respectively. The individual pattern pieces 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 are arranged in the pattern layout with their edges in abutting relationship, as shown at 12, 42, and with common portions of the outlines traced thereon overlapping one another, as shown at 11,31 and 11,21.

It will be understood from the foregoing that, as preferably embodied, the individual pattern pieces 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 each carry a charge of static electricity and hence, readily adhere to the layout paper 2 in the desired pattern layout by the force of electrostatic attraction alone.

Advantageously, the light sensitive layout paper 2 is specially coated, such as with a sepia dye, so as to respond to a source of light, such as ultra-violet or black light, by being burned out, thereby resulting in a change of color in the layout paper, the degree of color change depending on the intensity of the light which strikes the paper.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 4 of the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that, upon exposing the pattern layout 15 to a suitable source of light, a printed pattern layout sheet, to be followed in cutting a lay of material or the like, is produced in accordance with the invention, indicated generally by reference numeral 60.

Thus, the individual pattern outlines to be cut are reproduced at 11, 21', 31', 41' and 51' in a first color shade which is substantially identical to that of the original blank sheet of layout paper 2, inasmuch as the opaque pattern tracings ll, 21, 31, 41 and 51, respectively, block the light emitted by the light source from passing through the pattern piece to the layout paper below. v

The overall configuration of the pattern layout is represented at 15' in a second color shade which outlines the individual pattern lines 11', 21 31, 41 and 51'. The second color is an intermediate shade which is produced by reason of the transparent material of the pattern pieces serving to reflect a portion of the light emitted by the light source, resulting in a lessened intensity of light striking the surface of the layout paper and, consequently, a partial exposure thereof.

Finally, a third color shade is produced at 61, which outlines the second color shade l5, and corresponds to that portion of the layout paper bordering onthe pattern layout configuration where no pattern pieces were placed. Thus, thisportion of the layout paper is fully exposed to the light emitted by the light source and the coating thereon is consequently substantially completely burned off.

As preferably embodied, and as illustrated in FIG. 4, the first color shade also includes the desired cutting instructions, reproduced at 14', 24', 34, 44 and 54.

It will be apparent from the foregoing, and as seen in FIG. 4, that by reason of the layout paper being subjected to either none, intermediate or complete exposure, the three different shades produced in the printed pattern layout sheet are sharply contrasting and hence, there results a print having a three-dimensional effect which is easily legible and provides remarkable definition for the cutter to follow.

In the method of the invention as preferably embodied, the printed pattern layout sheet is thereafter suitably developed into a permanent master sheet, such as by a conventional ammonia process. Thereafter, duplicate sheets of the printedpattern layout may be reproduced as needed from the permanent master sheet and a lay of fabric material or the like is cut by following a duplicate sheet of the printed pattern layout.

In a first alternate embodiment of the method of the invention, the individual pattern pieces are cut to the exact size and shape of the patterns to be cut therefrom, and the patterns to be cut are traced thereon along the perimeters of the individual pattern pieces. In this embodiment, the individual pattern pieces are preferably arranged in the pattern layout with all of their common lines overlapping and the method is advantageously used where it is not inconvenient to cut the pattern pieces to the size and shape of the pattern to be cut. Of course, the outline of the pattern traced thereon is still relied upon for obtaining the printed pattern outlines and the method of the invention as thus alternatively embodied therefore accomplishes all of the objects heretofore specifically enumerated and has all the other advantages heretofore described in connection with the preferred method of the invention.

In a second alternate embodiment of the method of the invention, the individual pattern pieces are arranged in the pattern layout on a suitable planning board and the pattern layout is reproduced electronically by the use of suitable commercially available optic line follower equipment, such as the Line Master, manufactured by Andrews Engineering Company, Hopkins, Minn. This equipment conventionally includes a photoelectric cell arrangement which looks" on either side of a line to thereby follow the line and continuously send an electric signal to a stylus positioned on a sheet of paper remote from the pattern layout. The electric signal serves to drive the stylus in the same path as that followed by the photoelectric cells and, hence, simultaneously re-draws the pattern layout.

While this alternate method of accomplishing the step of reproducing the pattern layout does not have the advantage of producing a copy with a threedimensional effect, as discussed in connection with the preferred embodiment of the method, it nevertheless also accomplishes all of the objects of the invention specifically enumerated heretofore. Furthermore, the use of optic line follower equipment has the additional advantage that the pattern layout may be automatically reproduced on eitheran enlarged or reduced scale as desired, within the limits of the equipment, by feeding the optic signal through a computer which has an increased or reduced ratio feedback.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific embodiments herein shown and described but departures may be made therefrom without departing from the principles of the'invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

What is claimed is:

l. A method for producing a printed pattern layout sheet having a plurality of garment patterns outlined thereon to be followed in cutting a lay of fabric material or the like, comprising the steps of: tracing the outlines of each of said plurality of garment patterns in an opaque material onto individual sheets of thin, flexible, self-supporting transparent material; arranging said individual sheets of transparent material, each having the outline of a garment pattern opaquely traced thereon, with the common portions of said outlines overlapping so as to define a pattern layout in which each individual pattern outline is clearly visible in its entirety; and reproducing said pattem layout on a sheet of paper to thereby produce said printed pattern layout sheet with each individual pattern outline definitively reproduced thereon, wherein the individual pattern outlines of said pattern pieces are reproduced by the steps of: arranging said individual pattern pieces in said pattern layout on a sheet of a light sensitive paper; and exposing the combined light sensitive paper and pattern layout to a source of light was to produce distinctively varying color changes in said light sensitive paper corresponding to each of the individual pattern outlines traced on said sheets of transparent material, the area covered by said transparent material, and the area not covered by said transparent material.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, including the steps of:

recording desired cutting instructions on said individual pattern pieces in an opaque material; and reproducing said cutting instructions onto said sheet of paper at the same time as said individual pattern outlines are reproduced thereon. 3. The method as defined in claim 1, including the step of:

10 a cutting said individual pattern pieces from a sheet of transparent material which carries a charge of static electricity and is sufficiently thin that said individual pattern pieces readily adhere to said flat surface by the force of electrostatic attraction alone. I 4. The method as defined in claim 1, including the steps of:

developing the exposed light sensitive layout paper into a permanent master sheet; reproducing duplicate sheets of the printed pattern layout from said master sheet; and cutting said lay of fabric material by following a duplicate printed pattern layout sheet. 5. A method for producing a printed pattern layout sheet as claimed in claim 1, including the step of:

cutting said individual sheets of thin, flexible, selfsupporting transparent material to the size and configuration of the corresponding individual garment pattern outline traced thereon. 6. A method for producing a printed pattern layout sheet as claimed in claim 1, including the step of:

cutting said individual sheets of thin, flexible, self supporting transparent material so as to approximately conform to and be slightly larger than the configuration of the corresponding individual garment pattern outline traced thereon; and arranging said individual sheets of transparent material with their edges in abutting relationship and. their com mon outlines overlapping, as desired. 

1. A method for producing a printed pattern layout sheet having a plurality of garment patterns outlined thereon to be followed in cutting a lay of fabric material or the like, comprising the steps of: tracing the outlines of each of said plurality of garment patterns in an opaque material onto individual sheets of thin, flexible, self-supporting transparent material; arranging said individual sheets of transparent material, each having the outline of a garment pattern opaquely traced thereon, with the common portions of said outlines overlapping so as to define a pattern layout in which each individual pattern outline is clearly visible in its entirety; and reproducing said pattern layout on a sheet of paper to thereby produce said printed pattern layout sheet with each individual pattern outline definitively reproduced thereon, wherein the individual pattern outlines of said pattern pieces are reproduced by the steps of: arranging said individual pattern pieces in said pattern layout on a sheet of a light sensitive paper; and exposing the combined light sensitive paper and pattern layout to a source of light so as to produce distinctively varying color changes in said light sensitive paper corresponding to each of the individual pattern outlines traced on said sheets of transparent material, the area covered by said transparent material, and the area not covered by said transparent material.
 2. The method as defined in claim 1, including the steps of: recording desired cutting instructions on said individual pattern pieces in an opaque material; and reproducing said cutting instructions onto said sheet of paper at the same time as said individual pattern outlines are reproduced thereon.
 3. The method as defined in claim 1, including the step of: cutting said individual pattern pieces from a sheet of transparent material which carries a charge of static electricity and is sufficiently thin that said individual pattern pieces readily adhere to said flat surface by the force of electrostatic attraction alone.
 4. The method as defined in claim 1, including the steps of: developing the exposed light sensitive layout paper into a permanent master sheet; reproducing duplicate sheets of the printed pattern layout from said master sheet; and cutting said lay of fabric material by following a duplicate printed pattern layout sheet.
 5. A method for producing a printed pattern layout sheet as claimed in claim 1, including the step of: cutting said individual sheets of thin, flexible, self-supporting transparent material to the size and configuration of the corresponding individual garment pattern outline traced thereon.
 6. A method for producing a printed pattern layout sheet as claimed in claim 1, including the step of: cutting said individual sheets of thin, flexible, self-supporting transparent material so as to approximately conform to and be slightly larger than the configuration of the corresponding individual garment pattern outline traced thereon; and arranging said individual sheets of transparent material with their edges in abutting relationship and their common outlines overlapping, as desired. 